What has been the cost to women of relying on research that was never designed around female physiology?
On today’s episode, Dr. Stacy Sims, exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist, and bestselling author of ROAR and Next Level, joins Mike for a conversation which is sure to make you pause and reconsider what you thought you knew about female physiology. For decades, much of what women have been told about how to train, eat, and care for their bodies was built on studies done largely on men, then handed to women as if they were simply smaller versions of the same thing. Stacy has spent over twenty years showing why that doesn’t hold up, and why so many women entering middle age and beyond can feel like their bodies suddenly changed the rules.
In this conversation, Stacy walks through what that research gap has actually cost, and what to do about it. She explains why “eat less, train more” so often backfires for women, why holding a fast through the morning can throw off appetite and stress hormones, and why lifting heavier loads may protect muscle, bone, and even the aging brain. She also draws a line that runs through the whole conversation: the symptoms of perimenopause are the physiology, not the person.
And to be clear, this conversation is not just for the women in our community. If you know a woman, love a woman, or are raising a daughter, this is for you too. Stacy explains why having men in the conversation helps drive action, and what partners can actually do — listen first rather than rush to fix, and recognize the moment for what it is: hormones shifting, not the relationship failing. It’s a distinction that can change how couples move through midlife together.
Underneath all of it is a hopeful idea… So much of what gets misread, by physicians, by partners, and by women themselves, is really just physiology that was never explained. Once you understand how your body works, you can stop fighting it and start working with it.
In this conversation, we dive into:
- Why so much health and performance research was never done on women
- What “women are not small men” means in practice
- Why “eat less, train more” can backfire through midlife
- How prolonged morning fasting can disrupt appetite, stress, and circadian signaling
- Why strength training matters for muscle, bone, and brain health
- Why men belong in this conversation, and how to show up for the women in their lives
- Why AI health tools still run on outdated male data
Whether this conversation is about your body or the body of someone you love, it offers a great place to start making sense of it all.
“women have a bit of a ceiling when it comes to advocating for themselves because it’s a more of a male-driven society, especially the medical community. So having men in the conversation also helps drive action.” — Dr. Stacy Sims
“One of the most important things about being a leader is giving yourself thinking time. Allow yourself, whatever it is, however you do it, whether it be at night, whether it be morning, whether you do it regularly each month, give yourself some clear thinking time.” – Eddie Jones
Guest Resources + Links
Website: Learn more about Dr. Sims’ here: https://www.drstacysims.com/
Dr. Sims’ Books: ROAR, Revised Edition (2024) and Next Level (2022)
Finding Mastery Resources + Links
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